by Brad Warner

I’m back in Los Angeles. So there’s a Zazen class tomorrow morning in Santa Monica for all of you who live near by and aren’t TOTAL LOSERS. Shee-oot man, I got 18 times as many people coming to see a lecture in the middle of nowhere Nebraska as I get at these weekly Zen classes. A bunch of ‘em even drove an hour or more to get there. I’m sorry, but you guys are just pathetic. California is lame.

26 Responses

If it’s any consolation, while I can’t attend your particular zazen sessions, knowing about yours has at least put my butt in gear enough to attend my first day-long retreat last weekend. I’ve been sitting daily for a while, and with a group on Sundays, but this is the first time I tried an all-day zazenkai. If you want to take credit for the inspiration, that’s fine with me.

brad, i enjoy your blog very much, i live in dallas and i am a otr driver, i gave your book to my mother to read. she is a 71 yr old devote roman catholic and she found chapters in your book exceptionally beautiful and wise, people in the santa monica region are lucky to have you and don;’t know it, fred

I would say California is lame but I’ve never been there, but if you lived in Wisconsin for a bit you may end up doing like “The Mamas and the Papa’s.” Either Brad is or is not serious in his disappointment in the lack of a crowd in Santa Monica, I for one think he is. In spite of the topic over on the Dogen Sangha blog, which is currently “Don’t expect to get anything out of Buddhist Practice” … or rather don’t go into it with a mind of getting something. I would like to say though Brad has a legitmate concern, if people don’t show up we will all soon be Moslems by force. You know the violent belief systems prevail. I hope someone doesn’t put a fatah on me after this post.

I liked the wanker comment drunken monkey. As far as all of us becoming Moslems, well get serious. Do a bit of research and you will see that many of our present day religions were spread via violence or edicts that lead to their violent distribution. That was all I was talking about, and that is still going on these days. The only thing that tempers religion is a strong secular government that makes them behave themselves. Did Ayatollah Khomeini issue a death warrant for Salman Rushdie? Did Pat Robertson call on the death of Hugo Chavez. The former a major Cleric and the latter a leader of right-wing evangelicals. So the violence is still demonstratable with many examples I’m sure you all can find. Is it right or is it wrong? I have my opinions on that and I’m not afraid to call a spade a spade… but not a wanker.

I really empathize with your (dare I say it?) frustration. I get in a funk sometimes too because after two years I only have two semi-regulars at my Faithful Fools Sunday program in the Tenderloin in San Francisco. I feel like everyone is heading off to do naked yoga or the Fulsome Street Faire or whoknowswhat sexy in thing – and there I am like an ass in a well trying to convince people to stare at walls with me in the worst area of the city.

But I console myself with this: the Faithful Fools Zendo that I have been granted (free of rent even!) is my 10 foot square hut. So even if no one shows up, I can play hermit and be an upright Buddha with all things (even if they don’t explicitly know it). And if my being there and available facilitates others to join me in practice all the better, and if not – the ten foot hut is no less full and no less empty. I am just thankful for the causes and conditions that have allowed me to be present to practice in such a way. Anyway, that’s what goes through my mind.